The invention relates to a method of arranging a carrier mat of resilient material on a number of ranged moving containers, this carrier mat being provided with apertures for receiving the containers, the apertures being provided with upwardly tapered collars for supporting the containers, according to which the carrier mat is delivered from a store by means of a delivery device, positioned on the containers and then fixed by means of a pressing mechanism.
In the soft-drink industry, for instance, it is more and more customary to interconnect a number of containers or bottles by means of carrier mats or clips. The bottles are then offered for sale in shops in packs of four, six or eight units. For the consumer such "six packs" have the advantage that several bottles can be carried easily, the advantage for the seller being that six bottles are always sold at the same time. Furthermore, it is not necessary to handle heavy crates with filled bottles.
In the method according to the invention, known carrier mats are used which are made of relatively rigid, flexible material and which along the inside edge of the apertures are provided with collars for receiving and supporting the bottles by their necks. In the middle portion two holes are made in which to put thumb and forefinger for carrying the mat with the bottles arranged therein. This type of carrier mats is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,633,962 and 3,261,498.
When the mats are arranged on the bottles, the difficulty occurs of the mats having to be placed in the correct position on the bottles which themselves move forward at high speed. The mats in store must, therefore, be delivered at the right moment. Setting the moment of delivery is, therefore, very critical and a source of trouble.
The invention provides a method according to which the moment of delivery is less critical and the mat is placed on the containers fully controlled.